


Looks Like Fun

by ScribeProtra



Series: Agatha Runs Away au [1]
Category: Girl Genius (Webcomic)
Genre: Agatha Runs Away au, F/M, Heroism, Jäger culture is weird, Multi, Slow Burn, Stealth Crossover, Stealth Fusion
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-30
Updated: 2018-11-06
Packaged: 2019-08-10 21:59:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 11,825
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16463114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ScribeProtra/pseuds/ScribeProtra
Summary: AU where Agatha blithely and unaware of her history and danger, skips out of Beetleburg to go on a tiny quiet adventure to see Mechanicsburg as a tourist.It doesn't go the way she expected.





	1. In Which Agatha Runs Away

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Yet To Be A Legend](https://archiveofourown.org/works/6093397) by [Para](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Para/pseuds/Para). 



> HO BOY, this is gonna take a bit.
> 
> First: This fic is inspired by the first paragraph in Para's To Be A Legend au. Specifically: Agatha had always wanted to see Mechanicsburg. It sounded almost like a fey land, mad and enchanting, the origin of history’s greatest heroes and monsters alike, but Mechanicsburg was real. _She’d thought, vaguely, of maybe going someday after she finished university_ , but Adam and Lilith hated Heterodyne stories for reasons that were never quite explained, so she never expected them to go with her. _It would be her own adventure, her reward when she graduated._
> 
> Second: Since this is gonna be long and plotty I needed a lot of OCs. Only I didn't want to make OCs so I just grabbed a bunch of various other fandoms and dumped them here. Hence the stealth fusion/crossover tags.
> 
> Third: There will eventually be Mature and Explicit chapters but it will take a while and till then it will be Teen and Up. I will make an note when it happens and change the rating as well, so keep an eye out for that.
> 
> Four: Chapter 2 and onward is going to count for my 2018 NaNo! I am very excited.

Agatha had been taking unofficial classes at the university since she was eleven, and officially was a student starting at thirteen. However, once she turned fifteen and was a legal adult Doctor Beetle also hired her as a secretary.

It was her first job and she was immensely proud of it. She could honestly truly help her parents now instead of always being a nuisance and a problem.

(Oh, Adam and Lilith never thought of her that way but she kept feeling like one. Like she was suppose to be taking care of them and she just... couldn't. Not with her headaches, not with her brain that wouldn't do anything useful.)

Except. She felt very selfish about it! But ever since she could remember, Agatha loved Heterodyne stories. The ones about the Boys were the best, but even the Old Heterodyne and Jägermonster stories could capture her attention like nothing else.

General hero stories were acceptable when she hadn't found any new Heterodyne ones lately.

She just loved the idea and ideal that if you were kind and brave and clever a person could help others. Could just save a little bit of the world. Not her, obviously, but other people could and would.

The point however, was that.... she just really wished to go to Mechanicsburg at least once in her life. It sounded amazing and wild and just safe enough of an adventure that even she could do it. So when she started getting money she didn't put all of it into the household accounts. 

She split it into two equal bits: one for the house and her parent's work, and the other half was her own savings. Specifically, Agatha started plotting.

Adam and Lilith were strict, but Agatha wasn't really disobeying if they never gave an order. And they wouldn't give one if they didn't think they had to. So, very quietly and slowly, Agatha planned her tiny adventure.

It would be her reward to herself when she finished graduating.

She first researched what it would take to travel by her lone self from Beetleburg to Mechanicsburg. Those stories were terrifying and gave her a new set of nightmares. (In addition to her ongoing ones about Uncle Barry never coming back, the nonsense ones about ghosts crawling into her body and the pale pale women with spider legs and sickle arms, and the quiet one about music suddenly just.... going away.)

But she did learn about defenses and travel groups, food supplies and how to find safe things to eat. How to make camp and how to start a fire. How much money she would need to save to buy a clank wagon, and which one she should aim for.

So that is what she did next. She spent three years hoarding her savings until a little bit after her eighteenth birthday, when she had passed all the classes she was both interested in and could take. (She couldn't do the practicals, not with her headaches, not when getting distracted by pain at a crucial moment could end in injury or death.) Then she silently, subtly, splurged. Bought travel clothes and packs, bought supplies, got a clank wagon that could locked down into a protective shell at night and didn't need a horse. Found a group traveling in the right direction and convinced them to let her come with.

And then she, quietly and without fuss, quit her job at the University, left a note to her parents saying where she was going and that she would be back, and left Beetleburg for the first time in eleven years.

She was Agatha Clay and she was going on an adventure.

***

She loved her clank wagon. It was painted dull brown and green, with bits of the metal underneath showing where the paint had flaked off. It was mostly shaped like a turtle, moved by the four extendable legs and steered by the extendable head. At night she would find a mostly level place, lower it to the ground, pull in the head, bar the, ah, back door, and sleep secure in safety.

It wasn’t pretty, nor was it fast. What it was, was sturdy, sensible, and clever. It felt a great deal like she was traveling with Adam.

The very slow walking speed combined with an inability to handle too sharp a slope meant she couldn’t really join a travel group. Agatha didn't mind that so much. Oh, she would have enjoyed making friends but with her still present, if lessened, headaches she didn’t think it very possible.

Anyway, if she stopped at the same place and time as other groups they let her share their fire and swap stories. It was wonderful, especially when they were traveling entertainers. Sadly, that had only happened once so far. But it had been the best night she had spent in the Wastelands.

She had taken, hopefully, enough travel rations, and planned to either trade or buy more in the next town she encountered. Her other supplies were decent sturdy clothes, her wood whittling supplies, her tiny clank building supplies, general toiletries, and one death ray.

She hadn't brought any of Lilith's canning with her as that would have been stealing. Nor had she brought any of her books. Though that had been because she both didn't think she would have time for them, and she couldn't really spare the space. She did bring three brand new blank journals and one diary. 

The journals were so she could try her clank designs in ink and paper before attempting in brass and wire. The diary was so she would have a memento of her adventure. She wrote, at least a little, every day. Most days was just describing how beautiful the Wastelands were. 

Some evenings before bed she worked at her little clank attempts. She still hadn't made anything that worked, no matter how clearly she could see it in her head. The sheer frustration kept bringing her worst headaches down on her which was why she only attempted her clanks some evenings. The rest were spent either designing, whittling, or just enjoying the view.

Lunch time was spent practicing with her death ray. It pulled a little to the left and it overheated after only ten shots, but it was durable and had been cheap. It was even more frustrating than her clanks because she didn't dare try to do any of the improvements she could think of. It was her only weapon and she could not risk it breaking! Or worse, exploding!

Five days after leaving Beetleburg, she was very grateful she had practiced as that was when attacks started happening. At first, only at night. She wasn't sure what had snuffled around her wagon, trying to get in, but she didn’t want to meet it. There had been large footprints in the dirt outside come morning. Agatha was mostly sure it was some animal. A very large one ,judging from the side of the prints, and some form of cat. She wasn't sure what species, mind, but she remembered enough biology to recongnise cat paw prints.

A few nights after she hear mechanical noises and the grass being dead from some unknown cause. Parts of it were charred, while other parts were just dead by no method she knew.

That had been followed by a terrifying moment with a purple and green fog that drifted across the road. Thankfully, it had not blown towards her and she didn't notice any changes in the grass or animals where it passed. But still; a clearly Spark-made fog was frightening when she had not the slightest idea what it did.

She kept going anyway! She would just have a check up at the Great Hospital once she arrived there. It might even be fun, getting to visit one of the Heterodyne Boy's most famous landmarks.

After that, she encountered a few highwaymen. These were much more easily dealt with, as getting shot at by a death ray made them all flee. Wasn't there supposed to be more of a fight when it came to robbers?

Or was it because she wasn't that far from Beetleburg? Ooh, or maybe they thought she was a Spark! She hoped it was that. Agatha had dreamed of something happening to make her not be stupid anymore and Breakthrough sounded like just the thing.

Ah, but she was distracted. The view deserved her attention.

The Wastelands were deadly and scary, that was true. But they were also beautiful. Birdsong, pretty and bright, kept filling the air - which smelled noticeably better than Beetleburg's. The cliffs and mountains were grand, the flowering trees a riot of pinks and yellows and whites. Then there were the meadows of sweet smelling flowers.

She made sure to follow advice when she found any Trusty Maiden's Weed and harvested it to sell. Agatha would reach a town eventually and she needed something to barter with.

That bit of advice had been passed on to her by a Frau Mason. Maiden's Weed could grow in towns, but thrived best in the wilds. Any traveler wanting a welcome or to stretch their coin knew to harvest as they went.

But the best part of the scenery, Agatha found, were the stunningly vivid sunrises and sunsets. Such vivid colors! Soothingly reliable that no matter what happened, time kept going. Yet, they were just different enough each time that they never got boring.

The farther along she got the worse the attacks became. Eventually it got so that there was something outside her wagon each night.

The worst, or possibly the most interesting, part was she didn't know what the things were. She saw the scratches and claw marks on her clank wagon, saw the sometimes burnt or somehow dying grass outside in the morning. But she didn't know what was outside prowling, trying to get in and gnaw her bones. Agatha didn't recognize the sounds either and there were really so many possibilities as to what it might be.

It could even be a different creature each night!

Which was utterly terrifying but also rather fascinating. It was a puzzle that she had only a few pieces to.

***

Her headaches had also been surprisingly gentle since she left Beetleburg. She still got them, but only on the nights she tried to work on her little clanks. But each time they happened it was difficult to sleep properly, as the combination of 'terrifying Agatha-eater outside' and 'horrible mind-searing pain' kept her up for an all-nighter.

Perhaps that was why she was too slow and groggy one morning to notice the glints in the trees.

She had finished breakfast and was clearing her camp in preparation for moving on. Last night hadn't been the worst but she was still tired, limbs feeling like lead weights. She paused and looked up when she heard a low buzzing noise in time to yelp as a swarm of clanks swooped down at her.

Her yelp of surprise and panic echoed through the forest as she started swatting at them. She managed to hit one but it was easily replaced by another. Plus they were all fast and quick, zooming around her.

Her death ray was on the ground where she had dropped it, and she lunged for it. She yelled in terror as she felt the swarm of clanks land on her neck and do- something, she wasn't sure what.

But then they lifted off, and her neck felt cold and bare and- no no no, not her locket!

Agatha lifted a hand to check and yes, her locket was gone. She rolled over and lifted her death ray, screaming in rage. How dare they steal from her! She fired wildly at the swarm and managed to make quite a few explode. But she paused afterwards because if she managed to hit the ones flying away with her locket she would lose it and-!

The headache slammed into her and she howled in pain, letting go of her deathray to press her hands against her head. It didn't help, but oh, she couldn't think, was barely aware of noises filling the clearing, her world suffused with agony.

She sniffled as the pain slowly died down enough for the rest of the world to come back. At that point Agatha realised the buzzing flying noises had died down, and she slowly sat up, tears still leaking out. Her locket! Uncle Barry would be so disappointed in her for losing it!

Agatha swallowed down tears and tried not to sob, only to notice that- well, there were three strange men in the clearing with her, all of the clanks were all smashed and her locket was in one of the men's clawed hands.

She gaped at the three in shock, unable to think of anything to say. She had not expected them at all!

The one holding her locket was purple skinned, had long shiny purple hair and was wearing an old cavalry uniform. He was looking a bit puzzled, and watching the one closest to Agatha.

Who was, in turn, furry, green, crouched down in front of her, and smiling at her with disconcertingly large fangs. An overabundance of very large fangs at that.

"Um," Agatha said blinking up at him.

He tipped his plumed aviator hat at her and said, "Hoy sveethot, itz fine. Ve gotz hyu."

Agatha squeaked, terror running down her spine as she scrambled away from him. 

"Jagermonster!" she blurted out which. Was a bit stating the obvious but she was having a very bad morning so far! Doing so was reasonable!

"Ho, yez," the green one agreed, smile falling down into a frown, "Dot’s us."

"Are... are you going to eat me?" Agatha asked, looking between all three of them wildly. The third one she hadn't focused on before had a single rams horn growing out of his head and two very strangely shaped feet, but otherwise was more human tan colored.

There was a pause as the green one straightened up, his frown getting deeper before he asked back, "Do hyu vants us to eats hyu?"

Agatha shook her head and said, "No!"

"Den ve izn't gunna eatz hyu," he replied with a shrug.

She scuttled away a little more before climbing to her feet. She tried to make herself look as small as possible. She didn't know what would make them turn against her after all.

"Um. Thank you for the rescue," she said holding her hands together and looking down at their feet. Could she risk asking for her locket back?

The green middle jager made a weird growling noise and she glanced up at him. He was making a very worrisome face. Agatha wasn't sure if it was a disgusted face or an offended one and her heartbeat started picking up. She had no chance against one, much less three Jagermonsters.

"Vhy did ve rescue her, Dimo?" the tan Jagermonster asked, scratching his head.

"Yah," the purple one added tossing her locket up and down, "She is a pretty gurl but iz not dat pretty," he examined her locket and added, "Don't tink ve ken get much from dis either."

The green one's hands snapped out as he hit both of the other two in their stomachs. "Eediots! Use hyu noses.”

The other two both grunted and then took deep breaths. Agatha cringed when they both focused on her with all the strength of a death ray. Oh red fire, she didn't know what they planned but it had to be worse than being eaten!

The tan one pointed at her and said, smiling hugely, "Hyu is a Heterodyne!"

She straightened up and stared at him. That... was not where she had thought this was going.

The purple one stared, looked at her locket and Agatha saw some realization bloom across his face before turning sheepish, stepping forward, and offering it to her, "Sorry, Mistress."

She blinked at him, feeling incredibly off kilter, but accepted it. She turned it over and sighed softly when she realized the back was off and it was missing bits. How could it protect her if it was broken?

She shook her head, because Jägermonters were much more important, and looked back up. There was a long pause as all four of them stared at each other.

Agatha cleared her throat and said, "Right. hello. I'm Agatha Clay. Thank you for rescuing myself and my locket but what's this about Heterodynes?"

The three of them all looked at each other and then started gesturing and making faces. She stood patiently, used to silent communication from Adam. She didn't know this dialect, but if they were busy arguing then they weren't going to attack.

After a bit of punching each other and hissing words too softly for her to hear, they all turned back to her and the green one started talking.

"Hy is Dimo," he said, before pointing at the tan one, "Dis is Oggie," and then the purple one, "Und dis is Maxim."

Agatha curtsied, which made Mister Maxim grin and bow back.

"Ve iz detached," Mister Dimo continued, "Zo ve ken find de bloodline."

Mister Oggie added, "Und hyu smell like Heterodyne!"

"Which meanz hyu iz a Heterodyne," Mister Maxim finished

"I... see," Agatha said slowly, not seeing what was going on at all.

"Right. Well," she said, "I think you are mistaken. I can't possibly be a Heterodyne."

"Vait? Vhy?" "Vhy not?" Misters Maxim and Oggie asked at the same time. Mister Dimo just raised his eyebrows at her and waited.

Agatha tapped her fingers together careful not to drop her locket, "Well, for starters everyone knows Heterodyne are amazingly strong Sparks who can do the impossible and I'm too stupid and useless for that."

Barely even two weeks from Beetleburg and she had needed rescuing! Heterodynes never needed rescuing. They did the rescuing - or, for the Old ones, were the ones you needed to be rescued _from_.

There was another long, awkward pause as they all stared at each other. Mister Dimo scratched at his fuzzy chin, making a sound like rubbing a very stiff hair brush, before asking, "How old iz hyu?""

"I'm eighteen," Agatha answered. She didn't see why he was asking, but she also saw no harm in answering.

"Ho, vell," Mister Oggie said walked up and leaning an elbow on Mister Dimo's shoulder (who also allowed this).

"Yah, old Ruthbert," Mister Maxim said suddenly from next to Agatha. She jumped a little in surprise. She hadn't noticed him moving at all.

Mister Maxim ignored her startelement and kept talking, "He neffer broke though until he waz fifty-eight!"

“Iz probably case hyu den know hyu iz a Heterodyne,” Mister Dimo said as he put his hand in his coat pockets, “Now hyu knows.”

Agatha looks around at all three and tried to think of what to say. They were big, strong, _terrifying_ Jagermonsters. Would disagreeing with them get them angry enough to attack? 

There was just no way someone like her was a Heterodyne.

Alright, yes she never learned her birth parents’ names before her Uncle.... Barry...huh.

Agatha carefully removed all the loose and falling out bits from her locket, and then clicked it open before offering it to Mister Maxim "This is the only picture I have of my birth parents. Do you recognise them?"

Mister Maxim grinned, showing off his gleaming white fangs, and crowed, "Hoy! It is Master Villiam and Lady Lucrezia!"

The other two were quick, just a blur of color and motion as they dashed over to look over Mister Maxim's shoulders.

All three of them turned their wide, very toothy smiles on her. It was... unsettling to see. She kept expecting them to attack her at any moment and it made it rather difficult to remain calm.

"Well that's, um," Agatha said trying to keep up and feeling horribly unprepared for this, "This is nice, then?"

Oh red fire, she was going to disappoint them when she didn't break though. She knew what happened when she disappointed her teachers, but these were jagers! She didn't know what to expect when it happened!

There was another long, awkward pause as they all stared at each other.

"Soooooo," Mister Oggie said, drawing the word out enough for Dimo to close his eyes in pain. Agatha sympathised.

Mister Oggie finally asked brightly, "Where iz hyu heading, Mistress?" 

“Surprisingly, Mechanicsburg,” Agatha admitted.

All three perked up like...well, like when someone offered the University students a free meal. All hungry and hopeful.

“I was planning on being a tourist and then returning to Beetleburg,” Agatha added quickly, “I don’t know what else there is to do.”

"Fix de Kestle," Mister Dimo said immediately.

"Ring de Doom Bell," Mister Maxim added.

"Und call all uz Jagers home!" Mister Oggie finished.

Agatha blinked, a bit disconcerted by both how close all three were, and by quickly they came up with all of that.

“...Okay first, who is Kestle and why do they needing fixing, and second what is this about calling you home?” She asked.

There was another round of the three punching each other and arguing about stuff she didn't know. She waited it out patiently with her eyebrows raised. It was a little annoying but from what she got, she was under the impression they were working out where the beginning of the explanation was.

Which was a reasonable thing to look for. Even if she really wanted them to stop ignoring her and just tell her.

"How about you just start anywhere and work your way through it!" She finally snapped, extremely tired of being ignored. Her anger drained away when they all grinned at her, and she shrank down, suddenly terrified they would be enraged. 

"Ve is detached to search for a Heterodyne vhile our brodders help de Baron," Mister Oggie said brightly, bouncing on his feet again, "Zo dat ve could keep the Troth vhile also guarding de town!"

"De bargain vas dat no Jager could enter Mechanicsburg until de Doom Bell rings," Mister Dimo said beaming at her for no reason she could see.

"But de Doom Bell only rings when a Heterodyne iz in town," Mister Maxim added as he gave Agatha back her locket again, "Zo for uz to go home ve need hyu to fix de Kestle."

Agatha clutched her locket and bit the inside of her check. Everything was happening so fast, she felt dizzy.

Well it would take her awhile to actually arrive at Mechanicsburg; surely she could delay figuring this all out?

"Um, have you three eaten breakfast yet?" she asked, looking around and getting struck by an idea. "You can do that while I gather up the useable pieces from the clanks, and then we can move on. Does that sound good?"

“Dot iz a goot plan, Miss Agatha,” Mister Dimo agreed stepping back. He snapped out words in a language she didn’t know but sounded a bit like that one language she’d heard her Jewish neighbors use. Misters Maxim and Oggie both came to attention, replied back, and then left running into the trees. Mister Dimo wandered over to her clank, leaned on it, and tipped his hat down to cover his eyes. Agatha blinked at him, baffled as to how that position could be at all comfortable, before shrugging and letting it go. Not her problem and not her business.

Agatha put her locket away at the door to her clank wagon and then briskly went over to look at the swarm.

They were all quite smashed, but she got enough details. They were each about the size of a housecat, and drew inspiration from both bugs and birds. She rather thought it was different types of mixes for each tiny clank. None of them worked, so she didn't have to worry about forcefully shutting them down. Most of the salvage was nuts and bolts, and several long bits of wire.

At least one Jager remained within her view in the clearing, while the other two kept taking turns slipping silently into the woods and out of sight. She was a little impressed by how quietly they did that. They were all very bright loud colors and yet they just kept just vanishing.

She never heard them return either, even with them dragging dead animal bodies behind them.

After picking over everything and putting her spoils safely away, Agatha edged closer to the Jägers to peer at their pile. They were all three standing around arguing about whether they should cook their food. 

"-Und Miss Agatha's wagon den haff room for all de meat," Mister Dimo finished saying

"Yah, yah, but ve ken eat it all before ve leave," Mister Maxim argued, "Ve iz all hungry enough, yah?"

Mister Oggie scratched at his leg with his foot before saying, "Izn't Filly und Dinreel und Jenka und Fust near uz? Ve ken invite dem und get a bigger group."

"Who are we inviting?" she asked. She was still wary and uneasy but they hadn't attacked so far, even though she had been rude and useless, so they probably wouldn't mind questions.

"Un annoying little sheet," Mister Dimo said turning to Agatha. He didn't look annoyed at her question so Agatha felt herself relax a little.

"Our seesters!" Mister Oggie added beaming at Agatha happily.

"Alzo a Jagerbear," Mister Maxim finished.

Agatha stared into the distance and mouthed 'a Jagerbear' soundlessly before shaking herself. She refocused on the three and asked, "How long would it take for them to arrive? I don't mind waiting for a day."

She hesitated because...well, her head was still throbbing, and she would love to take a nap, but she wasn't sure they would be okay with her taking a nap. Even with them being behaved she was still worried.

Feeling safe around them was just illogical and mad, and she was no Spark. (Even though she wanted in her heart of hearts for them to be right, for her to be Spark someday.)

The three had glanced at each other wordlessly communicating before Mister Maxim said, "Mebbe lunch time?"

"Then it should be fine if I take a nap," she said before hesitating and eyeing them warily, "Right?"

They didn't feel dangerous but - Jägermonsters! There were so many- oh but they thought she was a Heterodyne. They wouldn't harm her as long as they did that.

But she did worry about what would happen when they realized she wasn't really one.

“Oh, yes, young Mistress,” Mister Oggie said, “Dot iz fine.”

“Good. Right.” she said feeling awkward.

“I’ll see you good sirs later then,” Agatha added about facing and heading towards and into her clank.

She heard giggling behind her before Mister Oggie said, “She iz funny! Hy like her.”

***

Her head kept throbbing as she closed the door behind her and went to her sleeping area. She stared at it for a bit before deciding that no, the Jägermonsters would not be a threat and charged into her pajamas. She slid into bed and curled up in a ball before she started shaking and trying to cry silently.

This had not been a good day at all! Uncle Barry was going to be disappointed in her and her locket was broken and now she had Jägermonsters to deal with and she wanted Adam and Lilith right now!

She sniffled and rolled over, burrowing into her blankets. This was too much adventure! She only wanted a little normal tourist one, not a grand sweeping epic! She wasn’t even a Spark, and- and-. they had been scary but also fairly nice so they probably wouldn’t hurt her when she never became a Spark. So- so she could relax about that.

But they would be unhappy and that, somehow, was even worse.

_‘I want to go home!’_ she thought, ‘Back to Lilith and Adam and the university!’

Her conscience pricked her and she gave a hiccup filled sigh. She did owe these three her life. The least she could do was go to Mechanicsburg for them. There was no harm in looking around after all. Even if she couldn’t fix complicated machinery she could do something! She was really good at secretary work and could follow directions and fix simple problems!

Sleepiness was descending on her and Agatha thought wistfully about fixing things. Fixing all the broken machines so they were stronger and better.

Yes… that would be nice.


	2. In Which Agatha Breaks Though

A soft and faded dream of Uncle Barry panicking because she was too young and then Agatha was swept away- was dancing to- was uplifted by song.

All the world and all the universe was made of wheels and cogs and wire: lightning flowing quickly along the veins and fire dancing merrily in the bones and water burning bright in the brain.

Ah, but look closely and see. The damage and tears. The worn away bits! Work was needed, yes, and parts. The great machine that was life required repairs! Why, it was so simple! Such elegant solutions, found by plumbing the depths that science could lead them! Yes! Everything made sense now!

 

She had her own hands and held in them the tools and clanks to do her work with- The wrench she was holding (massive and strong, a lever that could move mountains) said in a female voice Agatha did not know:

“Do hyu tink she iz gunna wake soon? Hy vants to meet her!”

A male voice she- no, this was Mister Oggie. The Jägermonster from before. He spoke from a hammer and said, “Hy vants to con-grad-hyu-late her!”

Mister Dimo’s voice came next from one of the tiny repair clanks at Agatha’s feet. “Hy vants to know how she iz doing dot. Hy den tink eeny of de Family haz done dis before.”

A female voice, different from the first one answered him, “Hy haff neffer seen dis before, nor haff Hy heard eenyting about it.”

The dream fizzed out and Agatha opened her eyes with a groan. Her hands were sore and her back ached. Her eyes focused on a terrifying sight of a grinning blue face with massive yellow fangs and Agatha screeched in terror and smacked it with the- wrench? Why was she holding a wrench?- wrench in her hand as hard as possible.

Agatha heard laughter as she staggered up on her feet and looked around. The three Jägermonsters from before along with two new ones were all in her clank and- why was there a hole in the wall? When did that happen?

“What is going on!” she snarled, turning to the Jägers and banishing her wrench at them.

“Con-grad-hyu-la-sions Miss Agatha,” Mister Oggie said, beaming at her in what appeared to be utter pride and joy, “Hyu iz breaking through!”

Her rage vanished at that and Agatha gaped at him.

“What.” 

“Hokay, hows about hyu sit down and ve in-tro-duze dis eediot und dis seester of ourz?” Mister Dimo interjected, having taken his coat off and now offering it to her.

Agatha stared at it in confusion before looking down and blushing as she realized she was in her pajamas in front of male strangers. 

She slammed the wrench down on her workbench and then paused. Her hands were filthy, covered in grease and oil up to the elbows. Agatha looked around and settled on a unwashed skirt to clean with before accepting the coat.

“Right. Yes.” she said, still feeling flushed, “I clearly missed something during my nap.”

“Hyu vos in de Madness place,” Mister Maxim said, “Vhile hyu vos sleeping.”

“It vas new!” Mister Oggie added.

“Neffer seen eeny of de Family do dot before,” Mister Dimo said, “Und dese two, she is Jenka.”

He gestured to the Jägermonster leaning against the farthest wall. She had very long fine silver hair, was wearing dark purple and black clothes, had a scarf covering her mouth, and from what little of her skin Agatha could see, had oddly colored skin. It kept shifting from greenish-grey to greyish-silver. She was holding something in her hands and gave Agatha a nod before resuming to examine that whatever it was.

“Und dis eediot is Dinreel.” Mister Dimo said nodding at the Jägermonster reclining on the floor.

She? He? She, as she spoke with a female voice, waved up at Agatha wearing a bright grin.

“Hoy, hyu gots a goot arm young Mistress!”

Miss Dinreel was blue and furry, had vividly purple hair, two bunny styled ears, and one long tail with a tuft at the end and was wearing some old style of clothing (Agatha was certain it was called a tunic) styled in a lighter blue and white and a very *vividly* blue bycocket.

“Okay. Right. Don’t wake me up like that again,” Agatha said rubbing her face. Mister Dimo’s coat was really big on her. Not much longer as he wasn’t much taller, but he did have much wider shoulders and that showed.

“Yez, Miss Agatha” Miss Dinreel agreed, rolling onto her back, doing a weird roll up with her legs, and then rolling down and somehow leaping to her feet.

Agatha decided to ignore that and looked around. She had… well, her clank was an utter mess. There was a hole in the wall big enough for a person to squeeze through. Her death ray was barely recognizable, the clank engine was uncovered and worked on, parts were strewn everywhere-

She frowned and gave the room another look over. She saw the parts, and yes most of them went to the death ray and whatever was being done to the engine. But some were simply missing.

“Did I do anything other then wreck my clank?” she asked.

Miss Jenka finally spoke and help up a pocket watch, “Hyu made dis Miss Agatha.”

Agatha blinked and then realised she wasn’t wearing her glasses. They were thankfully still on the workbench in easy reach.

But after that she peered down at the watch and. Oh. It was only her little clank! It was moving and working and not exploding at all!

She made a squeal of joy and reached for it. “Oh, you marvelous thing! You work!”

It dinged at her as Miss Jenka handed it over. Agatha stared, wide eyed and delighted as it checked its limb mobility and then walked back and forth across her held together palms.

“It works,” she breathed before turning to loudly say to the Jägers, unable to stop smiling form utter happiness, ”Something I made works!”

“Goot job Mistress,” Mister Maxim said, giving her a thumbs up.

“Wot iz hyu gunna name it?” Mister Oggie asked.

Agatha shook herself and hmmed as she look down at the little clank. The clank looked back up at her, attentive and waiting.

...Oh dear she was blanking on names.

“I don’t suppose you have any ideas?” she asked it.

It made another dinging noise at her and shrugged.

“Hmmmm,” she ponder this feeling though the shape of an idea in her head, “How about… Dingbit? Dingbot?”

It dinged at her, somehow sounding a lot more happy.

“Dingbot?” 

Ding! 

“Dingbot it is then!”

Agatha then put it down on the workbench and turned back to the patiently waiting Jägermonsters.

“Now will you all leave my clank so I can get dressed?” she asked in a manner that was closer to a politely worded order.

They all made agreeing noises and left, after which Agatha covered the hole with her blanket. A quick clothing change and she exited as well, Mister Dimo’s coat folded over one arm.

She paused at the sight of the camp. It was much more- oh, what was a good term. Well made? Solid?

Her campsites were always faint tiny things, the cookfire small, little to no evidence she was there. This now looked like a large campsite, for many people. The cooking fire had been deepened and enlarged, with a pot of some very delicious smelling meat stew being slow cooked. Two splits were framing the pot with roasting animal carcasses on them. Some logs were cut and arranged as seats around the fire.

There was one very nice tent, oddly shaped and foreign to her eyes, and one makeshift lean-to set up along the clearing. There was also a bunch of drying racks made of branches from which hung a pile of animal pelts.

An incredibly large brown bear was eating some of the meat Misters Dimo, Oggie, and Maxim had caught before, sitting next to a tree that wasn’t there this morning. The bear had gold rings in its ears and was implausibly huge. So that was what a Jägerbear looked like. She wasn’t going anywhere near it!

(Even if there was an intriguing, mysteriously-appearing tree, with odd roots and odder branches, and very very red leaves. And covered in interesting packages and bags, with, of all things, a pretty bonnet wrapped along one branch near the leaves.)

Agatha glanced up at the sky. Yes, it was about noon, and her stomach was informing her it was empty. But first! She had found Mister Dimo standing by the lean-to and talking with Jenka and strode over to him.

“Thank you for letting me borrow this, Mister Dimo,” she said politely as she handed it back.

“Eh,” he replied, grinning at her as he put it back on, “Iz no trouble, Miss Agatha.”

“Hyu iz a verra polite leetle gurl,” Miss Jenka said.

This close, Agatha could now see that Jenka had purple eyes. She wasn't sure why she was noticing their color but there it was. She also wasn’t sure why she suddenly wanted to fight Miss Jenka. Or at least snap back.

“My parents- the ones that adopted me,” Agatha said, adjusting her glasses to glare, “raised me properly, Miss Jenka.”

Despite not being able to see Miss Jenka’s mouth, Agatha got the feeling she was suddenly smiling.

“Hoy, but still a spitfire,” Miss Jenka said. “Iz goot.”

Agatha squinted at her, feeling very suspicious now. Mister Dimo hummed and then asked, “Zo iz hyu joining uz for lunch Miss Agatha? Filly iz verra goot at making sure humans ken eat it too.”

Her stomach growled in hunger and Agatha blushed.

“If it isn’t too much trouble-” she started, and then squealed when someone draped themselves on her.

Miss Dinreel said, cheerful and right next to Agatha’s ear, “Iz goot! Ve haff missed hyu und it vould be nize, yah?”

Miss Dinreel then yelped and yowled as Mister Dimo’s hand snapped out and pinched one long ear.

“Off de Mistress, Dinreel,” he ordered.

Agatha wiggled out of the blue Jäger’s arms and to the side as Mister Dimo dragged Miss Dinreel away. Miss Dinreel hopped along, reaching up to claw at Mister Dimo’s arm.

“Hyu iz de most fussy brodder effer!” she wailed.

Mister Dimo said something in the same tongue Agatha still didn't know, Miss Dinreel replied and then Mister Dimo let go of Miss Dinreel’s ear as they started up a spirited argument about- something. Agatha wasn’t sure what the content was.

If they were going to talk in this language she really needed to learn it. But at least they looked like they were having fun. She really didn’t understand Jägermonsters.

Agatha rubbed her face again and asked Miss Jenka quietly, “I have my own food so it wouldn’t be any trouble if you need all of,” she gestured at the food pile, “Well, all of that for yourselves.”

It was smaller then it was at breakfast but still impressively large.

Miss Jenka shook her head and said, “Dose three eddiots hunted too much, ve von’t be able to eat it all. Take as much as hyu like, Miss Agatha.”

Glancing at the rack of pelts, Agatha privately agreed. What could they possibly do with all of those?

“Alright,” Agatha agreed, turninging to eye the bear warily. She *probably* could get a bowl of stew without getting too close. 

She spared a thought to wondering where the last two Jägermonsters were as she got her eating utensils and headed to the pot, before dismissing it. She was reasonably sure they wouldn’t directly harm her. And it wasn’t like she could stop them if they did.

The bear didn’t look at her at all when she slide up to the pot, so Agatha relaxed. He was too busy eating as well to bother with her!

She went to the stew with gusto. It was really good and she was hungry. 

Agatha examined the tree as she ate. It was a very oddly shaped tree. It was a bit over five meters tall, shaped vaguely like a person. The trunk was split into for the first meter before fusing at the waist.

At which point there was a- well it looked like a belt. A belt at the waist area from which hung a watering can and other simple farming tools. Above the belt were various other intriguing bags and pouches slung and secured onto the tree with straps. There were two arm like branches that had no leaves on them that hung down parallel to the main trunks body. At which point the trunk got rather narrow and- that was a face. Agatha paused in her eating and examination as she stared at what was clearly a face in the narrow most part of the trunk. The eyes were closed but that was a mouth and nose right there. No ears that she could see.

Why was she focusing on the lack of ears?

Agatha swallowed her food and said, “Hello?” 

The eyes opened and the tree turned a little to face her. The tree had sheer black as pitch eyes. Mister Dimo and Miss Dinreel, Agatha’s mind suddenly noted, had solid yellow eyes, but at least they also had visible pupils. This person didn’t have that. Just filled in voids that glinted with reflected light.

“Hello, young Heterodyne,” the tree said as it shuddered and bent slightly in a bow to her. Its voice was creaky and rough, less of an accent of the others and more of a strange sort of lisp. Its mouth was full of the same jagged sharp fangs as the others. “Hy iz glad ve haz found you.”

It continued, “Hy iz Filly und dis Jägerbear is Füst.” There was a pause as it thought for a bit and added, “Hy iz mostly counting as female zo you ken use dose for me.”

“Dose?” Agatha asked, slowly lowering her bowl. Judging from previous encounters Miss Filly probably wasn’t going to add her to the stew.

“Hy iz she und not he,” Miss Filly explained. “Hy ken it iz not easy for meat people to tell, yah?”

Agatha blinked up at her and humed in reply. That was reasonable to clarify when she thought about it. Agatha then watched as Miss Filly’s head branches waved about a bit as Miss Filly seemed to struggle with some thought.

“Zo you den haff food sick?” Filly finally asked.

Agatha replied, “I’m not sure what food sick is?”

Miss Filly made a grating noise of wood rubbing against wood before slowly forcing out the thought, “De tink ven vun pipple gets sick from a food but a second pipple is fine.”

Illumination lit up in Agatha’s brain and she perked up, “Oh, food allergies! No I don’t have any.” She thought and then added, “That I know of at least.”

She hadn’t realized Miss Filly was tense until Miss Filly relaxed, branches and trunk curving, instead of being straight lines.

“Iz goot to ken, Hy was worried a little,” Miss Filly said before closing her eyes.

She blinked and felt herself relaxing. How odd. Despite looking much more terrifying than the others, Miss Filly *felt* safer. In fact-

“Is the bonnet tied in your- hmm, hair branches your hat?” Agatha asked.

“Jah, iz,” Miss Filly rumbled, eyes still closed, “Ken’t wear eenytink else.”

Agatha nodded, feeling very sympathetic to that. “I can’t either.”

One of Miss Filly’s eyes creaked back open to stare at Agatha in question. Agatha waved at her cowlick, which always stuck up no matter what she did.

“Any hat I put on only lasts a few minutes before popping right off,” Agatha said. “I haven’t found anything that can keep my hair down.”

There was a sound like wood through a chipper which Agatha realized was Miss Filly laughing.

“Vell,” Miss Filly said reclosing her eyes, “You iz a Heterodyne from your toes to your hair. Und no vun und nothing ken keep dem down for long,” Miss Filly gave a massive yawn and mumbled, “Nah effen another Heterodyne.”

Agatha blinked at her, feeling both oddly complimented and oddly uncomfortable. But mostly odd. She then shrugged and resumed eating. She could figure that out later. Right now she needed to finish and then go look at her clank.

As she ate (three whole bowls, as she was *very* hungry), Agatha watched the Jägermonsters. Mister Dimo and Miss Dinreel stopped their argument and also came by to eat (Filly pulled out bowls for them from one of her bags), then Misters Oggie and Maxim returned as well and the same happened. Miss Jenka wandered over to Füst and started cooing about him being a ‘goot bear’ while petting him and giving him scritches. 

They acted and sounded happy, all joking along and together. Agatha felt the old familiar wistful yearning she always got when she saw a group of friends on the University Campus.

It always looked like fun, having friends and being part of a group. She wanted to experience that at least once in her life, instead of being on the outside watching.

She hesitated and leaned towards Miss Filly and said, “That was very good stew, thank you, Miss Filly.”

Miss Filly rumbled and shifted but was otherwise silent. Oddly, that made Agatha feel fine. Miss Filly was an actual walking talking tree, and getting that much when she’d showed difficulties in talking before felt more like talking with Adam then being shunned by her Professors or fellow students.

Anyway! Engine! Right! She needed to check her clank and see how much of a mess she had made. She crawled back in and paused. Dingbot had been busy. It was currently doing something to the engine. She leaned over and watched for a bit before saying ‘oh’! 

Of course, how obvious! Why, if she just added this part and rewired the connectors to the legs, her turtle clank would be able to handle much higher slopes!

She started humming in thought as she examined everything she had. Ugh, she really needed more parts for this! She was going to lose enough of the outer shell as it was.

Well, okay she could use the drying furs as a makeshift cover. Yeeees, that could work.

And even better, if she came across a broken clank along the way she could reuse all of that!

Perhaps even… would the Jägermonsters keep a lookout for clanks she could salvage? It would be very helpful if they did.

At this rate, she could get it up and moving but she wouldn’t be able to lock it down properly at night.

***

But yes! They succeeded in both finished working on the engine. Agatha giggled as she started up the controls (heavily improved and modified from before) getting her clank to stand up, ready to go. Test time!

Agatha couldn’t stop whooping with joy as she successfully make her clank walk around the camp and settle back down at the starting place. It had gone over rocks! And slopes! This was *amazing*!

She looked outside and huh. Several hours had passed. She hadn’t noticed that at all. Miss Filly had moved from the firepit and was doing something with fire and an ax to a fallen tree trunk.

Misters Oggie and Maxim were doing something with intestine and bladder- oh! They were turning them into watertight bags. How interesting. She’d seen those, goodness she’d *made* those, in the University but hadn’t know you could do it with such low tech tools.

Mister Dimo was over by the furs, finishing drying them out to- well Agatha assumed they were for sale. She’d never heard of anyone buying from Jägermonsters but what else were dried furs for?

Miss Dinreel was trotting back from the woods, using the front of her tunic as a bag to carry walnuts, acorns, and other nuts over to a decent sized pile near a recently added large flat rock.

There were also two more flat rocks right outside her clank, with a bucket of water and a bar of soap on them. No towel, but that was easy to fix.

Agatha didn’t see Füst or Miss Jenka anywhere.

She only hesitated a moment before going over to see what Miss Dinreel was doing. It looked *interesting*.

***

“What are you doing?” she asked

Miss Dinreel grinned at her as she dumped the load of nuts and answered, “Filly vorries too much about uz eattink right. Zo! Hy is gather lots of nuts zo she ken make acorn flour for breads.”

Her ears twitched and lifted up in excitement, “Hyu vant to help Miss Agatha?”  
“Sure!” Agatha said following Miss Dinreel into the woods, “But I don’t think I can use anything but my hands to carry them?”

“Iz fine,” was the reply as Miss Dinreel started examining the ground and kicking up old dead twigs and leaves..

Agatha peered around as well. She only saw flowers, leaves, and twigs. No nuts.

“I thought only wheat could be used for flour?” she asked, “Unless it was modified in a lab like Professor Rollipod’s Meat Wheat..”

“Eeeeeeh yeast is the best und is de vun dot rises when baked. But hyu ken get flat bread und tinks from any type of nut.” Miss Dinreel answered

Agatha hummed mind ticking away at this, “Anything other than nuts we should keep an eye out for?”

“Dandelions. Maidens weed. Anytink else hyu ken eat.”

“Found a bunch of dandelions,” Agatha called out, “How should-”

“De whole plant hiffen hyu ken please!” 

She liked this feeling. Being useful and helpful and not a burden. Agatha kept smiling as she worked the flowers out of the slightly damp ground.

She wondered how acorn bread tasted like.

She wondered how dandelions could be edible.

Miss Dinreel started loudly singing a song and after a bit Agatha quietly sang along. She hadn’t heard this one before and could only do the chorus.

She was pretty sure it was not a very nice song but she might be misunderstanding the lyrics. Why would you refer to Castle Wulfenbach as ‘the Baron’s great big thing’, anyway?”

Actually, since it was spring how was Miss Dinreel finding nuts? Weren’t they an autumn forage?

She hadn’t figured out how to ask and she never noticed how Miss Dinreel found so many nuts by the time they came back to drop their finds off at the rock.

Mister Dimo had stopped messing with the furs which were looking very handsome and ready for sale. The bladder and intestine bags were laid out in the sun drying, and all three were now helping Miss Filly with- oh it was a canoe! 

Why were they making a canoe?

Agatha assumed they had gathered enough asMiss Dinreel hopped over to the canoe instead of returning to the wood, so Agatha followed after. 

“So, um,” Agatha said once there, “What is the plan now?”

Filly glanced up and nodded in acknowledgement but kept focus on the canoe. The other three all beamed at her.

“Vell dot depends on vot hyu vant, Miss Agatha,” Mister Oggie said still keeping the canoe steady as Miss Filly worked.

Mister Maxim was also helping hold it as he added, “Dere iz lots of choices und hyu iz de boss, yah?”

Mister Dimo shifted around so one of his hands was free and he lifted a finger as he counted them off, “Vun, ve build a camp here und vait out hyu breakthrough. Two, ve just keep going to Mechanicsburg vhile hyu is breaking though. Three, ve go to a verra close Wulfenbach protected farm community, bargain vit dem, und vait dere until hyu iz done. Or! Four iz an idea none of uz thought of.”

Agatha thought about this and asked, “Is breakthrough so dangerous?”

Four of the Jägermonsters made ‘eeeeh’, ‘sumtimes’, and wordless ‘I dunno’ noises. 

Miss Filly said, evenly and sounding distracted, “Yez. Some of de Masters, dey either gets demselves dead or dey gets odders dead or sumtimes dere iz worse tinks dat happen.”

She paused in carving the wood and looked Agatha in the eyes, “Ve vould like you to be in Mechanicsburg for dis de most. But dot iz too far away still. Zo dis farming place. It iz acceptable second choice. De Baron, he is verra protective of his own und he has de strength to be zo.”

Agatha looked up at eyes as black as tar above yellow teeth stained red, and felt suddenly as safe as when she was home with Adam.

“Then the farming town it is,” she said nodding. She felt- something. Assured? She knew she had made the right choice and she wasn’t worried at all about the Jägermonsters being unhappy about it which- she couldn’t remember feeling like this before.

“Hokay,” all fi-all six chorused. Agatha squecked in surprise as she whirled to see Miss Jenka behind her. She hadn’t heard *anything*, no steps, no cloth, nothing.

As Agatha held a hand to her chest and breathed deeply, trying to settle her now racing heart Miss Jenka continued, “It iz called Stardew Valley. Iz mebbe two or three days travel from here. Depending on how fast hyu clank is, Miss Agatha. Ve ken spend de night here und leave in de morning.”

Miss Jenka sweep her eyes across the camp and said, voice dryly amused, “Give hyu lot time to finish all of Filly’s chores, yah?”

“Hokay, hokay, ve gets it,” Mister Oggie complained rolling his eyes, “Ve gots too excited.”

“Hy still say hyu vould haff done de same,” Mister Maxim groused, frowning at Miss Jenka, “HIffen hyu had found de young Mistress first.”

Mister Dimo just grinned at Miss Jenka and said, “Hyu iz showink off for de Mistress too. Hy ken tell.”

Miss Jenka gave him a gimlet stare and sniffed in disdain, turning her nose up at him before saying to Miss Filly, “Iz dere going to be breakfast for Füst in de morning?”

Miss Filly made her wood grinding laugh and replied, “Go clean vun of de leftover deer and hang it up for him, keedo.” 

Miss Jenka gave the three male Jägermonster another unimpressed stare before nodding to Miss Filly and striding away. Agatha felt awkward. They kept making much about her and she didn’t… feel impressive.

“Um. Is there anything I can do to help?” she asked hesitantly.

Miss Filly paused in her work, staring into the distance for a bit, deep in thought.

“Noooo,” she rasped out, “Ve ken only vait right now. Iz you clank all fixed?”

“As much as I can do with what parts I have,” Agatha said. She was severely limited.

She perked up in thought and asked, “I don’t suppose any of you saw broken or dead clanks in walking distance?”

“Yah, ve did,” Mister Maxim said.

“Vhy?” Mister Oggie asked.

Agatha rubbed her hands together and turned to Miss Dinreel, “Can you lead me there? I’m hoping to find parts I can use!”

Agatha then blinked taken aback. She hadn’t realized or noticed that Miss Dinreel had taken an ocarina out and was playing it. Agatha thought back and, yes, she *had* started hearing music when Miss Filly had explained how dangerous breakthrough was. Was this a normal thing for Jägermonsters to do?.

Miss Dinreel’s ears twitched and she opened her eyes as she stopped playing to grin widely at Agatha.

“Sure Mistress,” Miss Dinreel agreed, “HOY! Brodders vere vos-”

The three male Jägermonsters took turns listing off locations and then- well first they went and got Agatha a empty bucket she could carry things with and then they went off. Agatha felt the urge to skip in her legs from how wonderful today was being.

It might have started out horrible and yes, she was still feeling bad about her locket. But the day- no her *life* was taking a swift upturn for the better. 

***

The male Jägermonsters had found four different clanks of various sizes. Miss Dinreel could carry a lot but the sheer bulk of some of the parts meant it still took two or three trips each clank for Agatha to strip everything useful. After that Agatha happily hummed as she sorted and then started adding the part to her clank.

Dingbot was a great help, and even better was the- swarm? Swarm felt wrong but so did group. 

Dingbot had to be renamed Dingbot Prime as it used the parts to make copies of itself. Different ones, some were wrenches, some were screwdrivers, and so on. So now she had a whole group of dingbots, most of whom didn’t really want names. She had remembered to ask, this time. As she worked it occurred to her that a mob of dingbots was a good way to describe them.

After that was dinner and filling the finished bags with leftover stew, the nuts Miss Dinreel had gathered, and the dandelions Agatha had gotten. At which point the bags, the furs, and everything they were taking with them were all piled into the finished canoe.

Agatha was still a bit hazy on why a canoe. It was too full for them to also ride in it and she really didn’t want to leave her clank behind.

But by then she was too tired to ask and went to bed.

*** .

The next morning after a breakfast of eggs (Agatha didn’t know where they got the eggs and didn’t want to ask. Probably some wild ducks. Maybe a hawk. Maybe something weirder.) Agatha found out why the canoe.

She got her clank up and ready to move as the Jägermonsters cleared the campground so it wasn’t noticeable that anyone had been there. Miss Filly folded up the yurt (she’d ask last night and it was called a yurt and was invented by the Mongols) and also added it to the canoe.

At which point Miss Dinreel just lifted the whole thing up and balanced it on her head, her tail acting as a third hand.

“Er,” Agatha said, “Doesn’t that hurt?”

It was bigger than she was after all.

“Nah, iz fine,” Miss Dinreel said, “Hy ken do dis for a vhile Mistress.”

“Well if you're sure,” Agatha agreed. Still feeling dubious about it. She was shorter than Agatha, and a lot more slender. Whipcord, that was the term. All whipcord muscle covered in long fine fur.

She then started up her marvelous modified turtle walking clank. It was still basically in the shape of a turtle, except the door had been moved from the back to the side. The tail was now a gunnery turret currently being manned- being Jägered by Mister Dimo. (The others agreed that he had the best aim) The legs were much more flexible and now capable of gripping the ground, letting it cover steep slopes. Theoretically she could scale a mountainside with it but she- well she wanted to test it but she should empty it out first. Wouldn't want to lose her stuff!

Misters Maxim and Oggie were leading the way towards the town, Miss Dinreel was the left side of Agatha, Miss Filly on the right, and Miss Jenka riding Füst brought up the rear.

Agatha was in the middle and even though they kept saying it and proving they believed it she kept being surprised by how much of a Heterodyne they were treating her as.

She was used to protection, yes. Adam and Lilith and Dr Beetle did that. But they also expected her to be competent which was new.

She liked it. She really really liked it. Being relied on and know she could be relied on without making a hash of things.

They spent the next two days traveling like that. The first day, Agatha had a minor head headache attack, which, was so horribly embarrassing, and the Jägermonster were very awkward at trying to help. It also meant she had to explain her headaches and that was. That was never fun.

One night was also spent sleep-fugueing whiel the other was not.. She couldn't really figure out why that was.. (She really didn't want to fugue while asleep because it was so awkward trying to figure out what she did. And also the whole being in pyjamas. At last she wasn’t sleeping in her underwear like at home! That would have been *horribly* embarrassing)

By the time they got to Stardew Valley, which was a very pretty name, it was past supper and getting close to dark. The view of the town was amazing and as pretty as the name. The growing shadows made it look safe and welcoming.

The walls and armed guards especially helped make it feel like a refuge that had been found at last.

“HOY DE GUARD!” Mister Maxim hollered up at then, “Ve iz seeking uh. Jenka vot iz de word?”

Miss Jenka had ridden Fust to the front as they approached and she said, no trace of accent in her voice, “Asylum and safety for an Wulfenbach citizen who is breaking through.” 

The guards looked down at their party and- oh. That was odd. Didn’t Wulfenbach soldiers work with Jägermonsters all the time? Why did these ones look scared?

“Uh. Do you have proof of papers?” one of them asked looking wildly from Jäger to Jäger.

Agatha frowned at that. She might have missed some really important bureaucracy here. She couldn’t think of any papers she had that proved she was a Wulfenbach citizen.

Miss Jenka still managed to pull out a roll of papers and tossed it up at the guard. There was a pause as they were read, the guards clustered together and whispering.

“Uh, Miss? Miss Agatha Clay?” the oldest one with an eyepatch and a cape covering his right side finally said looking at her, “Can you come in alone?”

She really had missed something.

“Why?” Agatha asked.

“Well these- you do know these are wild Jägermonster right?” he asked.

She hesitated and then replied, “I’m afraid I don’t understand that question, good sir.”

There was a very long awkward pause filled only with muffled giggles from Miss Dinreel, Mister Oggie, and Mister Maxim. She could feel Mister Dimo shaking from silent laughter next to her. (When had he moved to the head?)

“They’re the ones that didn’t sign on when the Baron offered them a job,” the old man said slowly, “They’re wild and dangerous and we really need to get you away from them.”

Agatha frowned up at him, feeling vaguely offended. Yes, she understood his point and possibly anyone other then her would be in danger from them. Not to mention she really needed to keep being low profile but. She still felt like she should defend them now.

“They have been perfect, though granted very silly, gentlemen and ladies so far,” she said adjusting her glasses.”I can vouch for them if you need me to.”

Another round of whispering by the guards while Agatha was aware that the Jagers, save Miss Jenka, were now all looking at her oddly. She really should have talked to them about all the details of this plan before now. Blast.

“Please hold a bit, we need to fetch the Mayor,” the old guard said as one of the younger ones vanished from the wall.

Agatha nodded and smiled at him, understanding that. She’d done enough of having to deal with people above her paygrade when she was Dr Beetle’s secretary and student.

“That is fine. We can wait,” she agreed.

It took about half a hour before the younger soldier returned with the man who was clearly the Mayor. He was wearing a green shirt with brown suspenders, and a yellow tie, with a brown newsboy cap on his head. His handlebar mustache was grey and his skin was pale. 

“Well” he said blinking down at them, “You were not kidding, Johhan.”

“Hello!” Agatha called up at him waving, “May we enter, please? I promise we won’t attack anyone.”

The mayor stared at her and then looked at the Jägers.

“How the good heavens did you get Jägermonsters to agree with that?” he asked.

Agatha thought quickly and gave some- not completely lies but not the whole truth either, “That is a big of a long story. My name is Agatha Clay by the way”

“Sounds like a good one. And I am Mayor Lewis.”

“Right well! I have always loved Heterodyne Boy stories,” Agatha started, “And dreamed of visiting their hometown- you know as a tourist.”

There were understanding nods from everyone on the wall. Some of the younger guards were looking wistful.

“The problem is that I have no fighting skills, I was a secretary and part time student at Trans Poly U, you see,” she continued, “Which also means I have very little money and couldn't hired reputable guards. Or hire onto a caravan as my skills are only sellable in big cities.”

She waited for them to nod in understanding before continuing, “So my original plan was to buy a very very sturdy clank and a deathray and hope for the best but a few days ago I was about to die and these nice-” she paused and changed her word choice, “These very skilled fighters who love to fight rescued me. After a lot of discussion they agreed to escort me to Mechanicsburg if I deliver letters to their friends and family in the town.”

Mister Oggie suddenly spoke up, “Mine descendent might not be in de town zo Hy iz still goot vit hyu just lookink for hiim.”

One of the younger guards said sounding baffled, “Descendent?”

“Hoy yez! Mine great great grandson!” Mister Oggie crowed, putting his chest out, “He iz a menace to all polite society!” 

“Hy just vants to know iffen Mama Gkika’s haz new songs,” Miss Dinreel added as she suddenly put the canoe down with a loud thump.

The others all joined in listing people they wanted messages from or buildings they wanted updates about

Agatha kept smiling up at the guards and Mayor Lewis who looked rather as if someone had hit them all in the face with fish.

“Well uh,” Mayor Lewis stammered, “I guess as long as none of you attack anyone else, it should be okay.”

Agatha added, “Can we sell a bunch of furs as well?”

“...Pardon?”

She gestured at the canoe, ”Well they kept hunting animals to eat and there was no point in wasting the furs. So they skinned them and brought them along. Do you take trades?”

He leaned farther over the wall, now looking interested, “What kind of- oh I see.”

Miss Dinreel has reached in and pulled out a few of the pelts. Mayor Lewis harrumphed and rubbed his chin, looking at all of them with thoughtful eyes.

“There is an old abandoned farmhouse,” he said sounding very thoughtful, “You can have it for rent if you hand those over.”

Miss Filly had perked up at the farmhouse bit. Agatha thought and asked, “Is there farmland attached?”

“Well, yes, but it is fallow right now. Has been for years. Lots of trees have grown in and rocks and weeds.”

“Then it would be no trouble if we use it?” Agatha said, grinning in anticipation. Lots of land! She had no idea what Miss Filly was thinking of using it for but Agatha was excited to see it.

The mayor adjusted his hat and now looked baffled again, “Well yes. But nothing that will attack the town, you hear.”

“Yes, Mister Mayor,” Agatha replied, bowing her head.

After that they were finally let in the gates.

***

It was sunset and growing darker by the time they arrived. The farmhouse was small, and in need of repairs. Nothing major, there weren’t any holes in the roof or walls. But it was not a pretty house.

Agatha sighed and slumped down as she finished powering down the turtle clank. She rubbed a shoulder as she climbed down, bundled up pajamas under one arm, and swayed a little from tiredness. 

“Dere iz only vun bed, Miss Agatha,” Mister Maxim called from inside the house. 

She groaned and walked in. Mister Maxim was right. And the whole house smelled strongly of dust and cobwebs. She hated sleeping with cobweb smells, it always gave her nightmares.

“Should we draw lots for it?”

Mister Dimo looked up from the fire he was starting in the chimney

“Nah,” he said, “Ve iz happy outside und Filly ken’t use human beds.”

Miss Filly spoke from the window, bent over to look inside, “Hy hate using beds. Hy can’t eat or be rooted in dem.”

“Reasonable but the rest of you,” Agatha said frowning at the others.

Mister Oggie laughed and nudged her shoulder, “Iz goot Miss Agatha. Ve like outside. Ve gots de yurt too!”

She sighed before smiling at them, “Okay then. Thank you for the fire Mister Dimo, but I am really tired and would like to sleep.”

She got a chorus of good nights from them all and responded the same. It didn’t take at all long to get ready, especially since she only waved the blankets and sheets a bit to loosen up the dust.

Before crawling in she glanced out the windows. Miss Filly was off doing something in the rock covered field, the yurt was set up. But she couldn’t put her finger on it but she rather thought they were all positioned oddly. Ah, well.

She was far too tired to puzzle out the Jägers behavior. She could ask in the morning if she was still curious.

Agatha fell asleep almost as soon as she laid down.

(The oddest thing she realized in the morning was despite the cobwebs she didn’t have the spider ladies with sickle arms nightmare or the ghosts crawling into her body nightmare. There was one about the music going away after putting on her locket form Uncle Barry but it was swept away with dreams of laughing rainbow monsters, that brought her things to fix, each more complicated than the last and then cheered at each success.

It was a nice dream, and she rather hoped to have it again.).


End file.
